Last week, we talked about how the church is a family and this Sunday we're going to see how God's family, the church, is meant to have leadership. Paul is going to show us that we're not only meant to have spiritual leaders in our lives, but also that we can have some criteria for how we relate to leaders and who we should follow.

Here are some questions to think through in anticipation of Sunday:

- What do you think is your tendency when you view people who are in authority, both within the church and outside the church? Are you naturally skeptical of leaders, and if so, why?

- What do you think makes someone worthy of being followed?

1 Timothy 5:17-25

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. 21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. 22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. 23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.) 24 The sins of some men are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. 25 So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.